The 2028 Olympic Games continue to raise controversy as discussions regarding NFL players’ effectiveness in flag football take the world by storm. With the introduction of flag football as an Olympic sport, some question whether NFL players are the best fit to participate. As tackle and flag football each have differing builds, could we possibly see NFL players absent from the competition?
Question Marks Build on NFL Players’ Participation in 2028 Olympics
During a segment of “NFL on NBC,” Chris Simms and Mike Florio discuss the logistics of the big event from Los Angeles, California.
Simms, a former NFL quarterback, questions whether NFL players should be allowed to participate in 2028.
“I worry about the embarrassment, I worry about the injury aspect for the player for sure,” said Simms. “Yeah, it’s not gonna look good if some 5-foot-6 guy from Japan goes up and steals the ball from Justin Jefferson to win the flag football championship gold medal.”
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer believes NFL players will participate and potentially outcast some of the world’s talented flag football players.
“Yes, it’s a little unfair to the people who do play flag football all the time and do that, and they’re gonna be trumped by the NFL players,” said Simms. “But, if they wanna grow the sport, this is kinda the price you have to pay a little. It is to let these guys come in and all the fanfare around it.”
Aside from these things, Simms sees the risk-to-reward ratio for NFL players not worth their time.
“The real aspect here is, what players that are making $30 million a year are gonna one go, ‘hey I wanna do this and risk like wait, I can add to my legendary status in the NFL, do I wanna risk that?'”
Simms continued, “‘Do I wanna risk taking time away from my team and not be in total tip-top shape and ready for my team as far as just being there to practice with them and being at my best for the regular season.'”
Could General Managers Prevent NFL Players’ Participation?
As Simms proceeds, he poses the question, “Will NFL GMs sign off on such a thing?”
“Are the GMs really gonna sign off on this and some of their best players and owners?” asks Simms. “Or is it gonna be like, ‘hey yeah we support flag football, hey Chase Brown or Ja’Marr Chase, don’t you dare go play wide receiver for the flag football team.'”
With plenty to figure out prior to kickoff in 2028, Simms believes the number of NFL players interested may not be as high as originally thought.
“There’s just so much I think to get flushed out here,” Simms said. “As far as the teams and who they’re gonna let do that. And, I don’t think there’s gonna be as much of a land rush from the actual players that are gonna wanna play for this as much as people think, or maybe as much as Justin Jefferson showed in his personal exuberance yesterday in the press conference.”
Regardless of the hype around the 2028 spectacle, there are still major logistics to figure out. Until then, three NFL seasons lie ahead for the league’s premier stars.